Chord Tone Soloing: A Guitarist's Guide to Melodic Improvising in Any Style Reviews

• Common sense approach to improvisation for all styles.

  
  By A2GD1FO2CWU8JK on 2006-11-04
  Barrett Tagliarino books are easy to follow. This one uses a format similar to his Fretboard Workbook. Ideas are introduced with easy to read chord diagrams that revolve around the CAGED system of chord organization. Chord tones are emphasized as one solos. This outlines the chord progression making the soloist sound "melodic," instead of simply playing the right scale over chords.
  
  This book expects the reader to be new to soloing and progresses in baby steps. The other book on the same subject by Berklee Press called "Melodic Improvisation" is much more advanced and focuses on heavy weight jazzers like Pat Martino, Wes Montgomery, Joe Pass, and monster players of that caliber. This book is accessible to rock, folk, bluegrass, and country guitarists, not just jazz cats. The secret to success, the point of the book, is to target chord tones as one solos, but how does one do that?
  
  To answer that question, Barrett provides in depth guitar theory, a lot of break down and analysis, scalar choices, key center analysis, and a lot of down home humor along the way to keep things from getting overwhelming. All-in-all, Tagliarino has written another instructional book you'll want to keep in the library for continued study.
  
  

• Good book

  
  By A1UQMPBDJ8ZQ2F on 2007-05-09
  This book is the advanced user manual for your guitar. If you already know the basics such as chords and scales then this book is EXACTLY what you need.
  
  Basically it covers the how and why of music and how you the guitar player should think about it. Be forwarned this is not a book that will make you better overnight. In fact there is a chance that you will feel as though you have gotten worse at first. My reccommendation for those that can afford the time is to buy this book and use it right along side a good relative pitch ear training program....seriously. If you want to be a good musician then the methods in this book will provide the how and why while your ear will be responsible for the when.
  
  I have A LOT of guitar books...as do most of you reading this. This book teaches you the way to think about the guitar. It will take a lot of serious practice to ingrain the material in these pages, but those that do will transition for ok players to real players.
  
  Plain and simple: Best book I've bought in a long time.
  
  One draw back. The sound tracks are corney sounding...but that's a very minor issue in light of what this book provides.
  
  

• If you want to learn soloing, this is the book!

  
  By A2VD0UD9EPHGFO on 2007-08-03
  I have several students in this book right now and they all love it! It is such a methodical, seemingly simple approach - yet it covers so much. I highly recommend this book.
  
  

• Fantastic book that covers territory most other books ignore

  
  By A19SNB4PB3X6E7 on 2007-12-02
  I've been a guitar player for over 20 years and a guitar teacher for the past 5, and this book is one of the best I've come across. Whenever I show a student scales, they want to know how to turn those scales into music. I can remember having the same frustration when I was starting out. The information in this book answers that question, and clarifies a lot of the confusion about playing a solo. This book is clearly written, absolutely packed with information, and - most importantly - that information is presented in manageable, fun chapters. This book has given me a whole new excitement about playing. A guitar instruction classic.
  
  

• Wonderfully seriuos book - I am becoming a more musical guitarrist/shredder

  
  By A3L14A6BVXVWO2 on 2007-03-09
  I studied at MI (GIT - Encore program)
  We see lots of things in a short period of time at Encore. I consider myself an advanced level guitarrist.
  
  This book is very serious, covers a different ground we don't exactally see at MI's Encore. It's approach is different and efficient.
  
  It's helping me fulfill some wholes in my learning and also become much more musical.
  
  
• If this doesn't get you soloing...
  By AJEY3XF6B9PGJ on 2007-12-17
  You can't teach creative improvisation, but you can teach the prerequisites, and Tagliarino's books are the best organized, most approachable methods of understanding the guitar and its relationship to music that I've come across. He doesn't just give you the concepts, he quizzes you on them and gives you good practice materials. Used in combination with a live teacher, or alternatively, a lot of self-discipline, they are great stuff.
  
  
• What do you do in between strumming chords?!
  By A3P4OMMW8N1R6E on 2007-12-27
  This lesson book and CD is exceptional. What does the beginner or intermidiate guitar player do between strumming those endless chords to make the music more interesting? How do you fill in those "spaces" in your playing to take things to the next level? What can you do that sounds impressive and professional besides just strumming chords or finger picking them? The answers to ALL of those questions are right here in this book!
  
  The book lays out how that you can add interesting melody lines and great "riffs" or phrases to your chords and does it in an easy to understand way with examples that you can both see and hear. The musical solos are based on the current chords that you are playing, so both hearing them and adding them in becomes easier. In a nutshell these lead pieces make sense, musically and formationally and are easy to transition into with your current chord understanding.
  
  I would rate this book as "excellent" for those who have a basic understanding of chords and chord movement and guitar students who would classify themselves as being on an intermediate level. This course will take you to advanced level if you apply the concepts!
  
  
• Great for beginner/early intermediate students
  By A2OMCB8T8H7E6V on 2008-06-20
  The title of the book is a litle deceptive. I would have guessed that it would be about arpeggios, when in fact it covers scales/modes as well. Of course, as you play the scales, the chord tones are the connecting points. In short, I can see how this book could be useful for a guitarist who wants to move beyond the basic rock stuff and start playing music with a more sophisticated harmonic basis. However, if you're already conversant with using scales and arpeggios over chord changes, you're not going to pick up anything new here.
  
  
  
  
• WAY too basic.
  By A16HWJB0G9KFG2 on 2008-04-23
  I was expecting intermediate to advanced instruction from this book about chord tone soloing. This book starts from VERY BASIC instruction, and works itself up to basic/intermediate soloing. The first solo in the book, as the author calls it, consists of two notes! Just two, in order, played over and over. Don't buy this book unless you are a very basic beginner!
  
  
• Really great!!
  By AY70XIOR5XVBN on 2008-01-18
  This book is helping me more than any other book I have ever had. I went to GIT for nine months, completed a one year professional guitar certificate through Berklee School of Music (online) and have been studying music for over 25 years.
  
  Barrett Tagliarino, you are awsome!!!
  
  
• Barrett's a Great Teacher!
  By A1ZQQY7ZJGBCDA on 2008-06-03
  Chord-Tone Soloing is one of the few books on the market that looks at a very important topic in guitar playing. Athough most amateurs are unaware of it, the majority of great guitar solos, especially those that aren't blues based, are very tied into chord tones, and most great players, whether they are fully conscious of it or not, hit chord tones at just the right moments in their solos. That's why theirs sound so much better than ours do!
  
  In this book Barrett Tagliarino, who is much more concerned with teaching than he is showing off, tells you what notes to target and just as importantly, when to hit them. Indeed, there is a lot in here about timing, which is something those of us who have never practiced with a metronome or had formal training need some help with. I'm not just talking about having a "natural" sense of rhythm; I'm describing the ability to hit certain tones on certain beats so they really stand out. Barrett explains this quite well.
  
  If you are wondering why just wanking around the pentatonic scale doesn't sound right in some songs, or if your soloing is in a major rut, check out this fine book. And give it time--many of these exercises take practice and patience, but in the end, your soloing will be vastly improved.
  
  
  
  
• TJL Chord tone soloing
  By A26NVWTBZ5S5XV on 2008-01-22
  Excellent for any musician who wants to know how to play solos over changes. Highly recommended - I bought this for a friend as well!
  
  
• Exactly what I was looking for
  By A2NK9OWJXZ4ZJ1 on 2008-08-26
  As a rhythm guitarist for years I struggled with writing solos. Mr. Tagliarino's method has proven excellent in showing me how to make the leap to lead guitar. Although I wouldn't recommend this book by itself as I found some of the material needing further explanation, I would wholeheartedly recommend it for any aspiring guitarist's library.
  
  
• Great Guide!
  By A1I2ZVH8MTINC0 on 2008-08-28
  A very good guide on soloing. It is not for the beginner, but even for the intermediate player it is a challange. It will be well worth it's price, and well worn by the time I am done with it. This is my second book by Barrett Tagliarino and I highly recommend it.
  
  
• Excellent!
  By A1FB5FJ896HQSF on 2008-09-10
  I have many guitar books and this one is a stand out GREAT!
  Excellent book, got right down to playing and getting some good sound and improvisation ideas.
  
  This author's other book, Fretboard workbook, is also excellent.
  
  You won't regret this purchase at all.
  
  

• Guitar Fretboard Workbook
• Music Theory for Guitarists: Everything You Ever Wanted to Know But Were Afraid to Ask (Guitar Method)
• Modes for Guitar (Private Lessons)
• Blues by the Bar: Cool Riffs That Sound Great over Each Portion of the Blues Progression
• Terrifying Technique for Guitar